Canada’s cultural community has been enriched with diversity, aspirations, and opportunities over generations. Filled with stories and cultures worldwide, Canadian immigrants represent those who strive for greatness through hard work and determination. Whether you’re just starting to consider a move or are already on your Canadian immigration journey, this blog provides valuable insights into the essence of being a Canadian immigrant.
In this blog, we embark on an exploration of what it truly means to be a Canadian immigrant, delving into:
- What is immigration?
- Why immigrate to Canada?
- What does Canada have to offer immigrants?
- Immigration stories
What is Immigration?
Immigration refers to the process of individuals or groups moving from one country to another with the intention of settling there. Immigrants have provided economic and cultural benefits, allowing innovation and creativity to flourish in a new environment. Canada, a nation known for its inclusive nature, welcomes various classifications of immigrants, including economic immigrants, sponsored immigrants, and refugees.
There are diverse motivations behind people’s decision to immigrate. From seeking better job prospects and escaping volatile conflicts to environmental considerations, educational pursuits, or the desire to reunite with loved ones.
Why Immigrate to Canada?
Throughout its history, Canada has embraced immigration as an essential part of its national identity. From the early waves of European settlers to the more recent influx of immigrants from diverse backgrounds, the nation’s strategies have aimed at attracting newcomers and providing them with opportunities for success.
Across the globe, communities have been formed to preserve the essence of Canadian culture. However, what makes this culture so influential? Why does Canada boast a thriving immigration rate? What are the compelling reasons to choose Canada as a destination for immigration? A few reasons are:
Diversity
The primary driving force lies in Canada’s vibrant diversity and inclusive nature. With the integration of diverse cultural values and a strong sense of social respect, it is challenging not to experience a profound sense of belonging within the country.
Health Care
It comes as no surprise that Canada offers excellent healthcare options, ensuring accessibility for all. With both public and private healthcare systems in place, immigrants in Canada have a wide range of choices when it comes to accessing medical services and seeing a doctor whenever necessary.
Quality of Life
Canada’s exceptional quality of life allows immigrants to embark on their new journey with optimism. With a strong economy, top-tier education systems, excellent healthcare facilities, and abundant employment prospects, Canada offers one of the finest standards of living available.
What Does Canada Have to Offer Immigrants?
Navigating the challenges of finding a home, securing employment, learning a new language, and pursuing education in a foreign country can be daunting and overwhelming. However, Canada extends a comprehensive array of services to support newcomers throughout their transition from one country to another.
Housing
Finding a new place to reside may be intimidating as your first home may be temporary and short term allowing you to become familiar with a new community and culture. Recognizing this, Canada provides new immigrants with the option of short-term rentals, alleviating the stress often associated with finding a long-term home.
Employment
The Canadian government offers assistance to newcomers in their job search whenever support is required. Whether it involves obtaining a work permit or transitioning from a current job, Canadian immigration services provide comprehensive guidance and solutions to address all your employment-related queries.
Learning a New Language
Canada officially recognizes two languages, English and French, and thanks to government-funded classes, acquiring a new language can be a seamless process.
Stories From Those Who Have Immigrated to Canada
We spoke with some of our AG Group staff members who have immigrated to Canada, to find out their motivations and how they found their way to Canada:
Christy Clayton, Marketing Manager at AG Group
“I’m originally from the UK, but have lived in a few different countries and travelled around a lot throughout my twenties. I knew that the next country I wanted to live in was a toss-up between New Zealand and Canada, as both are rated among the top countries to live in, and have great healthcare and education systems.
In order to save up some money for my next move, I took a job in Beijing, China, teaching English as a foreign language, and I met my partner, who just happened to be from Calgary, Canada, which made up my mind about my future plans.
The process of applying for my visa was quite complicated, but I had the help of some friends who had previously gone through the process, which included travelling to local police stations where I didn’t speak the language and going for full medical exams. But, after submitting my application for the temporary visa, the waiting time went by quickly.
I moved to Canada as a temporary resident with a two-year open work permit in October 2020, right in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, which came with its own challenges, too.
When I arrived in Calgary the week before Halloween, with snow covering the ground and temperatures already in the negative, I thought maybe I’d made a mistake, but after living here for almost 3 years now and becoming a permanent resident, it’s become my home and I’m not going anywhere!”
Sabah Pirvani, Associate Marketing Manager at AG Group
“I’m originally from Pakistan but have lived in Dubai for a while as well. My husband and I applied for a Canadian PR through the Express Entry program in 2020 right before the world stopped because of Covid – due to which, the process lasted about 2 years. Finally, after the long wait, we landed in Calgary in Summer 2022.
Our reason for moving to Canada was simple; we wanted to be in a country which provided a better quality of life than our home country with a strong passport and not a very lengthy immigration process, and Canada ticked all the boxes. Dubai was great but the UAE doesn’t provide citizenships and if anything went south, we would have to move back to our home country, which was not something we wanted and immigrating to Canada seemed like a better option.
The process itself wasn’t all that easy, gathering all the documents and making sure they are as per the guidelines provided by the government was a bit of a task.
We landed in June 2022, and having lived in a city like Dubai where everything is so fast-paced, moving to Calgary was scary, we were afraid that we made the wrong decision. But having lived here for the past year, we feel that this is the stability we need in our lives where people have a work/life balance, family time, and mental health are given priority. Over the last year, we’ve learned to call it home and we feel it’s the perfect place to raise a family.”
If you want to find out more about how you and your loved ones could immigrate to Canada, download our Immigration Checklists, or schedule a consultation with one of our Immigration Agents.
